Wind musical instrument.



PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

. .Ziza'e/z 2'01 7 lzizhmzaz i d l F. A. BUBSGHER. WIND MUSIGAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 19, 1904.

mzzeddea UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IW-IND MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1906.

I Application filed November 19, 1904. Serial N6, 233,504.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FERDINAND A. BUES- CHER, a citizen of the United States, residin at Elkhart, in the county of Elkhart and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wind Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wind musical instruments, and while the im rovements are not limited to any particu ar use I have found them of especial advantage in conjunction with cornets, and I will so describe the same hereinafter.

My improved instrument has tuning, keychanging, and pitch slides, which in a comet are in addition to the regular slides for the first, second, and third valves. By reason of my invention I am enabled to insure the playing of the instrument in correct tune in -gh-pitch A, BI C, or inany other key, or in low-pitch A, B1 and O, or any other key without the necessity of using an extra-slide, extra shanks, or extra attachments which are not a fixed or permanent partof the instrument. By the provision of an instrument, such as a comet, involving the three slides mentioned I may readily and instantly by the pitch-slide adapt the tone of the instrument to other instruments, such as clarionets, Saxophones, and similar ke ed. instruments, the itch of which cannot e changed satisfactori y. I therefore construct a wind musical instrument, such as .-,a comet, which is regularly made in a high pitch, with a slide for tuning, a slide for changing the ke and a third or 1pitch slide, the latter being or the purpose 0 ment should the player find this to be necessary in order to bring his instrument into consonance with other instruments. This is an especial advantage with traveling musicians, since the pianos in. different 0 erahouses are tuned in the two itches. are many ways in which said tuning, keychangin and pitch slides may be arranged; but 1 on y show and hereinafter describe one of such ways. It is, as willbe apparent, immaterial where said three slides are located, so long as they/form a part of the tuning 0r passage of the horn through which the wind must pass while the instrument is being played and whether the valves be up or down.

11 the drawings accompanying and formin a part of this specification, Figure l is a Si e elevation of the principal portions of a lowering the pitch of the'instru out the views.

Referring more particular] to Fig. 1, the numeral 5 designates the lea( ing tube of the comet, with which a shank and mouthpiece of some ordinary construction are shown as connected. The leading tube has several returnbends, as 6, 7, and 8, respectively. These return-bends constitute, in fact, the three 'slides to which I have hereinbefore referred. The slides need not, however, be located as illustrated, for they may be situated at any other lace, or they may be disposed in any desiralile relative way, these being simpl points of convenience. The'slide 6 con'st1 tutes the key-changing slide to change from one key into another, ordinarily, though not necessarily, from B}; to A. The slide 7'is the tuning-slide. The slide 8 is the pitch-changing slide. The slides 6 and 7 are usually present in existing makes of cornets with which I am familiar, and they may be operated in any desirable way: I will set forth the means illustrated for effecting the o eration of the ke -changing slide 6. The a jacent parallel tubular portions of the leading tube are connected by a bridge or brace 9 through a perforation in which the rod 10 freely extends, said rod being connected at one end with the tubular slide 6 and being externally threaded at its opposite end to receive a nut, as 11,

which is in the nature of an adjustable stop and which by abutting against the brace or bridge 9 limits the outward movement of the key when the said. slide 6 is in its two positions. The pitch-slide 8, which might be roperly termed the low-pitch slide, as the llitter is undernormal conditions positioned to maintain a high pitch, is moved out to the requisite extent to put the instrumentinto low pitch. The low pitch slide forms a per tubular parallel (portions of the leadin accurate harmony ,with other and different instruments without the necessity of extra slides or in other intricate ways.

The low-pitch slide may be operated in any desirable way, one manner of which is illustrated and. which I will now describe. Tire tu e adjacent the sai slide 8 are connecte by a bridge or brace bar 14, through a central perforation in which the rod 15 freely extends, one end of the rod being connected in any desirable way with the said slide 8 substant'iallycentrally thereof, while the. other end is equipped with a thumb or finger piece 16,

by with th; rod 15 may be longitudinally o erated in order to correspondingly move t e slide 8 to regulate the pitch of the instrument.

In Fig. 2 I represent a means whereby a valve-slide, which may be the. third valveslide, may be operated by one of the three slides hereinbefore described. In; the present instance the third valve-slide is operatedby the pitch-slide, although this arran ement is not essential. For the purpose in. icated the third valve-slide (denoted by 20) is represented as having lugs or projections 17 and 17 respectively, coo erative with a projection 19 on the itch-s ide. When the pitchslide 8 is move out by a push on the thumbpiece 16, the lug or projection 19 will comein contact with the lug 17, thereby to cause the third valve-slide to be also moved outward. When the pitch-slide is drawn back, the lug- 19 en ages the lug 17 in order to draw the said t ird valve-slide in. The movement either inward or outward of the third valveslide will depend upon the relative dis osition ofthe lugs which may be of any esirable character. It will therefore be apparent that by my improvements a valve-slide.

may be drawn out with and by one of the other slides 6, 7, or 8a distance sufficient to assure that the instrument will be in tune with itself.

A wind musical instrument involving my invention has three slides forming a part of the tubing of said instrument, through which the wind passes at all times when the same is being played, one of the slides havin a limit of movement to change the pitch of the instrument, another having a limit of movement. to chan e the key of the instrument, andthe third having a movement sufficient to tune the instrumentthat. is, to put it in tune with other instruments.

The instrument shown in Fig 1 of the drawin s is a B]; cornet, the key-changin slide 6 eing'in. The limit of movement 0 said slide will be indicated when the nut 11 strikes the bridge 9. When the slide 6 is pulled out until the nut strikes the bridge, the instrument will be changed a half-tone,

.or to the key of A.- The slide has a move 'ment of approximately one and five-eighths inches, and as its movement is known or definite nothing is left to guesswork. The pitchslide in like manner has a definite movement. It is shown in Fig. '1 as'being in its inner position, the instrument then being in high pitch. To change it to low pitch, the slide 8 will be drawn out until the part 16 strikes the part 14. This movement is approximately one and three-eighths inches. The instrument,

as will be understood, is represented in Fig. 1

as being in El; high pitch. Should it be desired to play it in A, low pitch, the slides 6 and 8 are drawn out, as indicated, nothing being left to uesswork or manipulation on the part of t e musician. To put the instrument in tune with others, it will be necessary to manipulate the tuning-slide 7.

I have described the third valve-slide 20 as operative from and by the pitch-slide 8. The lugs, 17 and 17 are so positioned that when the pitch-slide is drawn out to the limit of its movement it moves the third valve-slide three-sixteenths of an inch. This is accomplished by having the lug 19 on the pitchslide strike the lug 17 at a time when the pitch-slide has three-sixteenths of an inch more to draw. Then when the cornet is changed fromv Bb to A it is necessary to 5 draw the third valve-slide one-fourth of an inch more to put the comet in tune with itself. This is done by hand, and the space between the lugs 17 and 17 is sufficient to allow the third valve-slide to remain out onefourth of an inch when the pitch-slide is replaced.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. Awind musical instrument having three slides formin a part of the tubing thereof, through whic the wind passes at all times when the same is being played, one of the slides having a limit of movement to change the key of the instrument, another having a limit of movement to chan e the pitch of the instrument, and the finaf one having a movement sufficient to tune the instrument.

2. A wind musical instrument having three slides formin a part, of the tubing thereof, through whic the wind passes at all times when the same is being played, one of the ITO the key of the instrument, another having a limit of movement to change the pitch of the instrument, and the final one having a movement sufficient to tune the instrument, said instrument having a valve-slide, and that slide which has a movement suflicient to chan e the pitch of the instrument being provlidimfwith means for operating said valves 1 e.

4. A wind musical instrument having three slides forming a part of the tubing thereof, through which the wind passes at all times when the same is being played, one of the slides havin a limit of movement to change the key of t e instrument, another having a limit of movement to change the pitch of the instrument, and the final one having a movement 'sufiicient to tune the instrument, said instrument also having a valve-slide, and the pitch-slide having a lug, and the valve-slide having two lugs, between which the first-- mentioned lug is disposed, said first-mentioned lug serving to engage either of the two lugs on the movement of the pitch-slide to operate the valve slide.

5. A wind musical instrument having a leading tube, and three slides, constituting a part of the leading tube and each movable independently of the others, one of said slides having a limit of movemennt to change the key of the instrument, the other having a limitof movement to change the pitch of the instrument, and the final onehaving a movement sufiicient to tune the instrument.

6. A wind musical instrument having tun ing-slides with unequal length of travel, and means to connect a tuning-slide of shorter travel to a tuning-slide of longer travel during a portion only of the travel of the longer tuning-slide, whereby both are caused to travel together during a portion of the movement of the slide having the longer travel.

7. A wind musical instrument having two slides, and means to connect one slide with another to cause the motion of the latter slide during a part only of the motion of the companion slide.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FERDINAND A. BUESCHER. Witnesses:

J. H. CoLLINs, I. E. STOMATE. 

